The parathyroid glands are four tiny glands attached to the thyroid. They are located under the Adam’s apple in your neck. Parathyroid cancer, like other cancers, happens when cells grow out of control.
The parathyroid glands are four tiny glands attached to the thyroid. They are located under the Adam’s apple in your neck. Parathyroid cancer, like other cancers, happens when cells grow out of control.
INTRODUCTIONKnow More Cancer is made of changed cells that grow out of control. The changed (abnormal) cells often grow to form a lump or mass called a tumor. Cancer cells can also grow into (invade) nearby areas. And they can spread to other parts of the body. This is called metastasis.
A parathyroid tumor is a growth inside a parathyroid gland. Most parathyroid tumors are not cancer (benign). Parathyroid cancers are very rare. You have 4 parathyroid glands. They are small, pea-sized glands in your neck or upper chest near the thyroid gland. They’re part of the endocrine system. This system controls hormones in your body.
The parathyroid glands make parathyroid hormone. This hormone controls the levels of calcium and phosphorus in your blood. Parathyroid tumors that are not cancer may cause high levels of this hormone. This increases the amount of calcium in your blood. Parathyroid cancer causes very high levels of the hormone. This can lead to dangerously high levels of calcium in your blood. This is called hypercalcemia.
Elevated levels of PTH also force the kidneys to retain large amounts of calcium, triggering the formation of kidney stones. Very high calcium can also cause kidney damage, dehydration, and confusion.
Parathyroid cancer most often occurs in middle-age adults. Because it is so rare, researchers have not determined whether specific environmental or lifestyle factors increase the risk of this cancer. Some cases seem to have a genetic link, with several generations of a single family affected.
RISK FACTORS Know More A risk factor is anything that may increase your chance of having a disease. The exact cause of someone’s cancer may not be known. But risk factors can make it more likely for a person to have cancer. Sometimes you can control risk factors, like using sunscreen to lower your risk for skin cancer. But risk factors for parathyroid tumors are not in your control.
Anyone can get a parathyroid tumor. But you are more at risk for one if you :
Talk with your healthcare provider about your risk factors for parathyroid tumors and what you can do about them.
SIGN & SYMPTOMS Know More Most parathyroid cancer signs and symptoms are caused by the hypercalcemia that develops. Signs and symptoms of hypercalcemia include the following:
Other signs and symptoms of parathyroid cancer include the following:
Because the rise in calcium can be gradual in people with parathyroid cancer, the body is able to adapt. Patients often have only minor symptoms, even if they have calcium levels that would be fatal if reached rapidly.
An enlarged parathyroid gland does not necessarily mean you have cancer. The gland can be enlarged for other reasons. For example, a noncancerous tumor called a parathyroid adenoma can cause a gland to enlarge.
DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENTS Know More Parathyroid problems are often found when you see a doctor because of symptoms that aren’t getting better. Your healthcare provider will ask you about your health history, symptoms, risk factors, and family history of disease. He or she will do a physical exam. You may also need one or more of these tests :
These can detect high levels of calcium or parathyroid hormone in your body.
These include X-rays, ultrasound, CT scans, and MRIs. They can help find out the size of the tumor
This test can show if you have an overactive parathyroid gland. A radioactive substance is put into your blood through a vein in your arm. The substance travels to the overactive gland and build ups there. An X-ray can show the buildup in the gland. It can also help find tumors in other parts of your body.
After a diagnosis of parathyroid tumor, you’ll likely need other tests. For instance, a biopsy may be done. This is when small pieces of tissue are taken from the tumor. These samples can be removed with a needle and checked under a microscope to see if there are cancer cells.
These tests help your healthcare providers learn whether the tumor is cancer. Sometimes you won’t know if the tumor is cancer until after surgery. The tests can help determine the stage of the cancer. The stage is how much and how far the cancer has spread (metastasized) in your body. It’s one of the most important things to know when deciding how to treat cancer.
Once your cancer is staged, your healthcare provider will talk with you about what the stage means for your treatment. Be sure to ask your healthcare provider to explain the stage of your cancer to you in a way you can understand.
There are different types of treatment for patients with parathyroid cancer. Treatment includes control of hypercalcemia (too much calcium in the blood) in patients who have an overactive parathyroid gland. In order to reduce the amount of parathyroid hormone that is being made and control the level of calcium in the blood, as much of the tumor as possible is removed in surgery. For patients who cannot have surgery, medication may be used.
Four types of standard treatment are used :
The following surgical procedures may be used:
En bloc resection : Surgery to remove the entire parathyroid gland and the capsule around it. Sometimes lymph nodes, half of the thyroid gland on the same side of the body as the cancer, and muscles, tissues, and a nerve in the neck are also removed.
Tumor debulking : A surgical procedure in which as much of the tumor as possible is removed. Some tumors cannot be completely removed.
Metastasectomy : Surgery to remove any cancer that has spread to distant organs such as the lung.
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. There are two types of radiation therapy:
External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer.
Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer.
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.
Supportive care is given to lessen the problems caused by the disease or its treatment. Supportive care for hypercalcemia caused by parathyroid cancer may include the following :